1) Withdrawal symptoms

2) HOW to withdrawal from baclofen

3) Summary, conclusion, and extra notes/precautions

1) Withdrawal Symptoms:

Yes; it will produce withdrawal symptoms. Baclofen is a GABAergic drug. It acts on the GABA receptors in the brain as a receptor agonist, in a similar fashion to how alcohol, barbiturates (phenobarbital, fioricet/butalbital), & benzodiazepines (valium, xanax, ativan, etc) work. While baclofen is selective for GABA-b receptors (where as benzodiazepines, alcohol, & barbiturates chiefly act at GABA-a receptors), drugs that act on the GABA-b receptor produce indistinguishable effects (in this case, you may actually liken baclofen to the selective GABA-b agonist GHB, which causes SEVERE withdrawal symptoms--very similar to alcohol abstinence syndrome).

There is not much medical information on baclofen withdrawal and its symptoms, mostly because it isn't prescribed or used as often as the other GABAergic drugs mentioned. But due to its pharmacological action, it most definitely & likely will produce very similar symptoms of barbiturate, benzo, or alcohol withdrawal, as previously stated:

Minor withdrawal symptoms

-Flu symptoms

-Sweating

-Insomnia

-Anxiety

-Panic attacks

-Dysphoria

-Decreased appetite

-Confusion

-Restlessness, agitation, & disorientation

-Nausea/Vomiting

-Depersonalization

Severe withdrawal symptoms

-Auditory hallucinations

-Delirium

-Paranoid & delusional thoughts

-Visual hallucinations

-Seizure

-Possible death (from seizures)

Severe withdrawal symptoms will be felt if the drug is discontinued abruptly after long term use and/or at higher doses. But in general, withdrawal symptoms will most likely be experienced if you meet ONE of the following criteria:

1) Taken daily for at least two weeks

2) Taken at high doses for more than two weeks, using at least every 1-3 days

3) You've used regularly for a significant period of time; longer than a couple months.

2) How To Withdrawal:

To combat these potential symptoms, I'd highly recommend a slow taper (if possible. If this isn't possible, replacing it w/ a benzodiazepine for a slow taper would be preferable, if you have access). Baclofen is relatively short-acting drug, so you may be able to taper quickly.

I'd recommend reducing your dose no more than between 5%-10% (i.e., if you use 80 mg a day; drop your dose at around 4 mg, or 5%, but no more than 8 mg, or 10% of your usual intake) every 5-14 days, depending on how you can tolerate the taper (but, the least amount of days the better! But seeing as though baclofen is very short acting; tapering may prove tough--since ALL short acting psychoactive drugs that produce withdrawal symptoms are tougher to taper off of: like fentanyl or diacetyl-morphine (heroin), pentobarbital, & alprazolam (Xanax). If possible, ask your doctor to switch to a longer acting GABAergic drug--like phenobarbital, butalbital, or longer-acting benzodiazepines--& then slowly taper).

But nonetheless, when you reach the near-end of your taper, you may need to reduce your dose more gradually. When you are at your final, minimal dose (where you wont be reducing your dose further).. before completely stopping, I recommend slowly spacing out doses (i.e., move to only dosing once a day; then once every 2 days; then once every 3 days.. then go from there).

If you don't use daily & take it as needed, then just gradually reduce the dose you're taking when you DO take it (as stated, a reduction between 5%-10% of your typical dose).. then start gradually spacing out when you dose until you are able to tolerate abstinence from the drug. If you're spacing your doses out more than a week & you're feeling fine, then you should be okay w/ completely stopping (unless you've used baclofen for a year or more on a semi-regular basis; such as, every 1-3 weeks; or even every month.. then instead of spacing out your doses, a slow taper should be fine w/ your usual dosing regime.. if this isn't tolerable, you can then slowly space out you dose if needed).

3) Final Note & conclusion:

The severity of withdrawal symptoms will increase if your use meets--and especially exceeds--the criteria mentioned above. I can not stress enough, DO NOT abruptly discontinue this drug! taper off of it slowly! Again, I cannot stress this enough b/c there have been cases of post-traumatic-stress-disorder in individuals who have abruptly stopped taking GABAergic drugs like benzodiazepines, due to the trauma of withdrawal symptoms. Not to mention abrupt cessation of long term use can cause neurological excitotoxicity (leading to actual brain-damage); AND, as i mentioned, in the worst case scenario- abrupt withdrawal can cause death from seizures! The risk is greatly increased if you've had seizures in the past that were NOT a result from pharmaceuticals.

So, please be VERY careful!

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